No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

LEVITICUS 2:11KJV
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Leviticus 2:11 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 2:11 mean?

Leviticus 2:11 says that none of the grain offerings brought to the LORD were to be made with leaven (yeast) or honey, and neither leaven nor honey was to be burned as part of any offering made by fire to the LORD. This rule set clear limits on what ingredients could be included in offerings that were burned on the altar.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to the Israelites through Moses about how to prepare grain offerings, which were gifts of flour or baked goods brought to the sanctuary. The command specifically excludes leaven and honey from offerings burned on the altar, likely because leaven (חָמֵץ, chamets) and honey (דְּבַשׁ, devash) were seen as substances that could cause fermentation or spoilage, which did not fit the idea of purity and preservation in worship.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 2:11

  • חָמֵץ (chamets, "leaven"): This word refers to anything fermented or containing yeast. Its exclusion emphasizes the need for purity and separation from corruption in offerings burned to God.
  • דְּבַשׁ (devash, "honey"): This word can mean bee honey or any sweet syrup. Its exclusion may point to avoiding anything that could ferment or change during burning, keeping the offering simple and unspoiled.
  • קָטַר (qatar, "burn"): This word means to burn as incense or as an offering. The verse stresses that neither leaven nor honey should be included in what is actually burned on the altar, not just in the preparation.

Why Leviticus 2:11 matters

  • Leviticus 2:11 clarifies that not all foods acceptable for eating were acceptable for burning as offerings, showing that worship had specific boundaries.
  • The verse highlights the importance of following God’s instructions exactly, even in seemingly small details like ingredients.
  • This rule helps explain later references in the Bible to unleavened bread in worship and festivals, connecting ritual practice to a broader theme of purity and separation.

Where else these words appear

“leaven” Hebrew H7603 · used in 5 verses

  • Exodus 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
  • Exodus 12:19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
  • Exodus 13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

“leaven” Hebrew H2557 · used in 11 verses

  • Exodus 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
  • Exodus 23:18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.
  • Leviticus 7:13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

“honey” Hebrew H1706 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 43:11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
  • Deuteronomy 31:20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
  • Psalms 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

“offering” Hebrew H801 · used in 64 verses

  • Exodus 29:18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
  • Leviticus 6:18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.
  • Leviticus 24:7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.